Energy from the water cycle: a promising combination to operate climate neutral

Abstract

Waternet, the first water cycle company in the Netherlands, is responsible for drinking water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and watersystem management and control in and around Amsterdam. Waternet has the ambition to operate climate neutral in 2020. To realise this ambition, measures are required to compensate for the emission of 53,000 ton CO2-eq/year. Energy recovery from the water cycle looks very promising. From wastewater, ground water, surface water and drinking water, all elements of the water cycle, renewable energy can be recoverd. This can be thermal energy and chemical energy. First calculations reveal that energy recovery from the water cycle in and around Amsterdam can contribute to a total reduction in green house gas emissions up to 148,000 ton CO2-eq/year. The challenge for the coming years is to choose robust combinations of all the possibilities to fulfil the energy demand at any time. Only then the use of fossil fuel can be abandoned and the target of operating climate neutral in 2020 can be reached.